A man sitting on the floor wearing a navy polo shirt and olive green pants, holding a brown and white spaniel puppy against a plain light gray background.

About The Toe Beans Co

Force free puppy school and dog training across Sydney. Founded in 2025 by Luke Buchanan on one belief: better educated owners raise better dogs.

Why we exist

Most of what people bring us, the barking, the pulling, the reactivity, the dog who cannot be left alone, could have been prevented. The first six months decide a lot about what a dog treats as normal for the rest of their life. Get that time right and the year after is far easier.

So we built The Toe Beans Co around those months, and around one belief: better educated owners raise better dogs. We train you as much as we train your dog.

Meet Luke

Founder and lead trainer

I grew up in the UK and spent time in the Armed Forces before deciding to work for myself. Not the obvious path to running a dog training business on the other side of the world.

The more time I spent around dogs, the more I noticed the same thing. Most of the problems people were dealing with were preventable, and most of the advice they were getting was outdated, too vague, or skipped straight to commands without ever asking why the dog was behaving that way.

I trained in Relational Leadership and under the Dog Trainer Academy, six months of training and a final exam. I have seen it work with hundreds of dogs in Sydney whose owners had been told they were just difficult. I am a practitioner. I will tell you what I have seen, what worked and what did not.

Outside of work I have three adopted cats who run the household and mostly ignore me. I am also the proud uncle of a very good cockapoo, and I have a soft spot for the Bernese Mountain Dog that I will probably never fully be able to explain.

Call me on +61 431 622 887, email team@thetoebeansco.com.au, or book a free meet and greet.

How we train

  • A small black and tan dachshund wearing a light pink harness, sitting on a speckled cream floor in an indoor setting with a person's legs visible in the background.

    Calm first, then commands

    A dog who is wound up and making every decision cannot take in new information. They are not being stubborn. We settle that first, then teach commands, and training becomes a different experience.

  • Relational Leadership

    The goal is a dog who follows you because they want to. That changes how they behave everywhere: on walks, at the front door and around other dogs, not only in a session.

  • What we will never do

    No pain, no fear, no force and no aggression. No shock collars, prong collars or choke chains, and we will not refer you to anyone who uses them.

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What makes us different

  • Help where the problems happen

    Most problems happen at home, not in a training room. From Silver up, a trainer comes to your house and works on what is going on there.

  • Support between sessions

    24/7 digital trainer support at every level. From Silver up, you can also ask questions in the community, answered by Luke.

  • One method, puppy to adult

    Puppy school, private training at home and adult behaviour work all use the same method and the same trainer, so you never start again.

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What we offer

  • Puppy School

    Four weeks of small group classes, matched by size, at six Sydney venues, plus help at home from Silver up. See Puppy School

    Puppy just home? Start with a Puppy Orientation Session.

  • Private Puppy Training

    The full program, done privately. Your own trainer, one to one, in your home, at a time that suits you. See Private Puppy Training

  • Adult Dog Training

    One to one in your home for dogs 32 weeks and older, one 90 minute session at a time. See Adult Dog Training

  • Never Guess Again

    Our online course through your puppy's first six months, with a real trainer live every week. See Never Guess Again

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What owners say

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What qualifications do you have?

Luke trained in Relational Leadership and under the Dog Trainer Academy, six months of training and a final exam. He is also a Certified Professional Pet Sitter with Pet Sitters International.

Everyone on the team passes an Australian Federal Police background check and the Red Cross Australia pet first aid course before working with your dog.

Does your training use pain, fear, force or aggression?

Absolutely not. If you want a method like that I suggest you call the 1980s, go back there and never get a dog.

We teach Relational Leadership, built on calm and consistent communication. The aim is a dog who chooses to look to you when something happens, rather than a dog who has been made to. No pain, no fear, no force, ever, and that is not a marketing line. Anything that works through intimidation gets you a quieter dog for a fortnight and a worse problem six months later.

Are you insured?

Yes, we are fully insured.

What are the main services you offer?

Our training comes in five forms.

Puppy School: four weeks of small group class for puppies up to 16 weeks, with home sessions and the online course from Silver up.

Private Puppy Training: the same levels, run in your home with no group class, and an extra home session at every level instead.

Puppy Orientation Session: one 90 minute session in your home for a new puppy, at $375.

Adult Dog Training and Behaviourism: one to one sessions in your home for dogs 32 weeks and older, at $465 per 90 minute session.

Never Guess Again: our online course on its own, with a live Zoom Q&A every week.

Puppy school runs at six venues: Paddington, Edgecliff, Neutral Bay, Zetland, Alexandria and Marrickville. Start dates vary by venue, so check the puppy school dates page. Everything else happens in your own home, across Sydney.

What are your puppy school locations?

Group puppy school runs at six venues, and all six take bookings: Dogs in Town at 308 Oxford Street, Paddington; Dogs in Town at 44 Epsom Road, Zetland; Dogs in Town at 500 Glenmore Road, Edgecliff; Dogs in Town at 266 Mitchell Road, Alexandria; Dogs in Town at 55 Addison Road, Marrickville; and DoggieLove at 71 Military Road, Neutral Bay.

Anyone in Sydney can attend any of them. Start dates vary by venue, so check the booking page for what is running next or ask us and we will tell you.

Your one to one sessions happen at your own address wherever you are in Sydney, so only the group class brings you to a venue.

What if I am not in Sydney?

We can still help. Never Guess Again is our online course through your puppy's first six months, with a real trainer live every week and 24/7 digital trainer support. It works anywhere.

Our free community is open to dog owners anywhere too.

What is the purpose of the community?

Our community exists to help improve owner education across the world. We believe that the better owners can be educated, the more likely they are to have the relationship with their pet they have always dreamed of. Additionally, Pat Miller once said that 98% of dog's given into rescues /shelters/abandoned had received zero behavioural training. We hope that, if you are considering this, these guides might give you the information you need to stop that.

Who are Homeward Bound Hounds?

Homeward Bound Hounds are a New South Wales based Greyhound rescue. The Toe Beans Co provides free services for recent adopters. These are in person and on-line.

What is your cancellation policy?

It depends on the service. For dog walking and pet sitting, bookings are paid in full upfront, and a booking cancelled within 24 hours of the session is not refunded.

The terms for every service, including training, are on our terms and conditions page.